10 Questions to ask when booking a DJ:
Remember when booking a DJ you are paying for his or her experience to be professionally organised and have an ability to provide the right entertainment for you and your guests. The DJ is generally the most important part of the function and will make or break your event.
It is not as easy as it looks and being a good entertainer takes time & experience. There are many cowboys out there with a couple of speaker and a laptop, but ask the following questions and you should find a good one!
1: Are you available for my date?
If the DJ is a good one they will be booked up months if not years in advance for popular dates. Generally Saturdays are the most popular day followed by Friday and Sunday. When you find the best DJ for you secure the date asap. If your booking for over a years time be cheeky and see if you can get a discount! You may be amazed as the price may drop a few pounds!
2: How much do you cost?
A good DJ will cost in the region of £250-£500 for the evening. NEVER book a DJ on cost alone as you generally will get what you pay for. It is understandable that budgets are tight, but the biggest mistake for any event is to book the wrong DJ as it will make or break your function (especially weddings). Avoid agencies if possible as they will add as much as 40% to the net fee!
3: Do you have public liability insurance (PLI), PAT certificate & a Pro Dub licence?
Without boring you too much
- PLI protects you and your guests against injury and damages relating to your DJ and their equipment. PAT is an electrical certificate that shows that the equipment is safe & Produb is required to use and download digital music. Your venue will probably need proof of PLI/PAT . Don't rely on word of mouth get your DJ to send you copies.
4: Will You be able to meet me in person?
The best bet is to meet your DJ face to face. This is the best way to get to know if they are right for you. You can also go over music and what you want from the event. There may be extra charges for this so make sure you find this out too.
5: What experience do you have and have you played at my venue or a venue/function similar?
Ask the DJ as many questions as possible relating to you function and what you want to achieve. That way you can gauge what experience he or she has. The best thing in the world is to get a DJ who has played a similar function at your venue. A good DJ will phone or visit the venue beforehand to suss out where to play, park, electricity supplies etc. There are lots of things that can delay set up on the day.
6: What equipment do you have?
Get photos/videos or see it in person. Depending on your event is the sound powerful enough and will it visually fit in? Without getting too technical a good DJ will have up to date equipment consisting of a digital play out system (laptop, hard drive player/reader), two full range speakers, four lights, well presented and unobtrusive. Beware! DJ's who have too much equipment may often spend too much time on buying lights etc. when they should be concentrating on improving their customer relations! That is all i will say on that matter. The set up may also be too big for your venue so check that too (especially marquees).
7: Do you provide a written contract?
ie: a booking form. This is a legally binding agreement between you and the DJ so if something goes wrong you have proof of purchase if you know what i mean? Also check the terms and conditions when signing and make sure you have access to them.
8: Can I submit a music list & can my guests ask for requests?
Many DJ's will let you add to the music
by pre requesting some favorite tracks. Your DJ will use that as a rough outline for the whole night. He should also take requests from your guests. After all its them that he is entertaining. Watch out for DJ's who boast that they have 15,000 tracks. A general four hour party will consist of 80 tracks and standard wedding requests normally consist of 200 of the same tracks. A library of 1-2,000 tracks should suffice for all genres and eras of music. Also watch out for CD Dj's who take requests as they spend most the night in their crates trying to find the music and ignoring your guests, whereas a digital DJ will have it in seconds!
9: What optional extras do you do?
Most good DJ's provide cost effective optional extra to make your event that much more special. Depending on the function these may include lighting effects, projector hire, extra playing time, early set up etc. Ask your DJ to demonstrate these extras if possible on your meeting.
10: Lastly - book directly!
Some DJ's may sub contract Jobs to other DJ's. Check that the DJ your booking is the DJ your getting. Also when booking through an agency or in-house DJ (especially hotels) make sure you can meet them to distinguish what your paying and what they are getting! You may be shocked to find your DJ is getting £200 and your paying £350! You will not get a good DJ for that money and may be let down!
Toby - 078355 18539 / 0844 736 1981 / Email me ai
